What does "menstruation" mean?

The periodic discharging of the menses, the flow of blood and cells from the lining of the uterus in unfertilized females of humans and other primates.

What is a synonym for "menstruation"?

Common synonyms include: catamenia, period, aunt flo, aunt frieda, aunt rose, bleeding.

How do you pronounce "menstruation"?

Pronounced //ˌmɛnstɹuːˈeɪʃən//.

Menstruation

//ˌmɛnstɹuːˈeɪʃən// noun

noun ·Moderate ·High school level

Definitions

Noun

1
The periodic discharging of the menses, the flow of blood and cells from the lining of the uterus in unfertilized females of humans and other primates. countable, uncountable
"It would seem that in Avebury, Stonehenge, and Malta the mystery cult of menstruation/mensuration reached its most consummate development."
2
the monthly discharge of blood from the uterus of nonpregnant women from puberty to menopause wordnet
3
An instance of menstruation, the part of each month during which a fertile woman menstruates. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms

catamenia period aunt flo aunt frieda aunt rose bleeding

Example

More examples

"Menopause is the end of menstruation."

Etymology

From menstruum + -ation, modelled after Late Latin menstruatio. The word is a cognate with French menstruation, Spanish menstruación, which displaced Old English mōnaþblōd (literally “monthblood”).

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.